29 March 2012

Drab to Fab Makeover: Hutch Love!

I used to think hutches were so dated, I could only imagine them in tacky old wood finishes that felt really gloomy and heavy looking. Either that or a little too country for my taste. But thankfully I’ve seen enough lovely ones to change my mind :) With a little inspiration, even a dreary old hutch can become a gorgeous addition to any contemporary design!

I’ve been hinting at my own huge hutch makeover for awhile now, so it’s about time I get this post out! This is by far the biggest project I’ve done to date. I was ready to give up several times, but I’m seriously LOVING the final results :)

It all started when I saw this piece sitting at my friendly neighborhood Goodwill.

Not the saddest hutch you've ever seen, but nothing special. It did have great lines though, and really gorgeous details! The finish wasn’t actually that bad – the buffet looked pretty nice on its own. But as a whole it was pretty dull, literally crying out for a makeover! The original price was way high, but thanks to a sale and a little extra bargaining we brought it home for a song :)

Refinishing this hutch was definitely waaaay more work than I anticipated. This mammoth (with all its doors and drawers) pretty much took over our apartment. And I'd get winded every time I tried to work on it. That makes me sound really out of shape, but you don't know what kind of body contortions were needed to get under all those non-removable shelves :) So I didn’t take any in-progress pics, but the steps I followed were pretty straightforward:

1. I removed all the doors and hardware, then patched + sanded any nicks with wood filler.

2. I primed everything with 1-2 coats of my go-to Zinsser Cover Stain - it’s my go-to mainly because I still have 1/2 a gallon to use up :) - but it adheres amazingly, even to veneers and glossy surfaces, which allowed me to skip sanding!

3. I painted the piece with 2-3 coats of Cottage White. Fab colour -not too yellow or pink or grey, just a really soft and creamy hue. To help minimize patchiness and roller marks I tried out a paint conditioner, which honestly worked wonders!

4. To protect and seal the piece, I went with a water-based product by Varathane - 2-3 coats, lightly sanding between each.

I was really worried about finding a sealer that wouldn’t create a yellow tinge, after my experience with my white goodwill dresser. Helen from Picked and Painted suggested using a wax, but I didn't want to try it for the first time on this giant! So I asked for some tips at Rona, and the paint guy was awesome! He tried out a bunch of different products on a white slab for me, and to my eyes this one gave the truest clear coat.

I kept most of the original hardware, simply updated the pieces (including the hinges) with a little Rub n Buff in Antique Gold.

Since some of the pulls on the buffet doors were broken, I replaced them with matching knobs.

To add a little interest to the interior of the hutch, I wanted to line the back in a really glamorous gold wallpaper. But that plan was a little too pricey, so I opted for this great Morroccan stencil by Royal Design Studio instead.

LOVE it! The stenciling adds that glam factor I wanted and really makes the hutch pop!

To achieve this look my sweet husband and I removed the hutch backing, painted it a creamy-beige (a sample jar of paint was enough), then stenciled it in a metallic craft paint. You can't tell from the photos but the pattern has this gorgeous reflective shimmer, especially at night :)

Deep rich hues are classic, but given the size of this hutch I knew I wanted this makeover to be really light and fresh. I think the final results are anything but drab :)

I think this might be true love :)

I'm totally smitten with gold lately, and the sparkle of it against this crisp clean white looks so luxe :)

I was blessed enough to have this hutch sell pretty quickly, but I'm already missing it! What do you think?

Looking at the pretty pictures makes me almost forget how exhausting it was :) Although next time I tackle a makeover like this, I may invest in a sprayer first. Any suggestions?!

114 comments:

That is STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL! Wow! Looks amazing!Would love for you to come by to link it up to my Creative Inspirations party happening NOW! I would love to have you there!Stacey of Embracing Changehttp://staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com

This is absolutely gorgeous! I almost can't believe it's the same hutch... I'd love to find something similar to attempt a makeover on, but much smaller... something so large would never fit in my teeny tiny bungalow. Thanks for the inspiration!

That is one fabulous makeover! I have a hutch that needs a makeover and I sure hope it turns out that beautiful. I'm glad I found your blog via Addicts Anonymous party. I'm a new follower so we can stay connected. I would love if you stopped by and followed too. Lori

Samaa, your hutch is beautiful. I'm a HUGE fan of gold and white! Ugh, it would have killed me to sell this piece of furniture. But there are more hutches to be found!Thank you so much for stopping by Project Queen. I'm a fan and follower of your blog now and I look forward to seeing what your next project is going to be.

What a gorgeous piece you've made now! That is one huge hutch and I can't imagine all the time it must have taken to get her so pretty! Love the color and the stenciling in the back is just perfect! Now I wanna see 'stuff' in it! :)Be a sweetie,Shelia ;)

Samaa! This is amazing!! You're incredible...I REALLY need to get back to crafting but my cooking series has consumed most of my free time :) hahaha. SOON! PS--I'm sharing this with my FB fans today :).

It's perfect! I've so badly wanted to rescue a hutch here and there, but the idea of dragging it home and around the house into my basement workroom, then back out when I sell it to someone, has kept me from it. So glad you went for it! And I love those round mirrors ... so posh.

You sold it??? Wow, how sad you didn't keep it. I love every inch of it. I have a hutch sitting in my dining room as we speak just waiting for me to tackle. I would love for it to turn out like this one. I think I've found my inspiration and colors here!

These seriously look like pics out of a magazine. It is so gorgeous! I would probably have to invest in a sprayer, especially if you are selling your furniture. You put so much work into that! It's amazing :)Angie

What a wonderful job! You have created such a lovely piece of furniture. We here in the UK would call this a Dresser. If anyone asked me to guess what a hutch was I would probably think the one you keep rabits in. Although we all speak English we don't always speak the same language, which I find fascinating. I love your Hutch / Dresser, you put such a lot of work into into it but well worth it.

OMG how could you sell it...as if you were in my mind while you are doing it...love it love it love itttttttttttttt...just waw and latley im loving gold alot ...I used to be a silver girl but not anymore...it looks like a million bucks hutch and those mirror and table just perfect next to itVisiting from it is overflowing blogxoxoRasha@mychampagnetaste

wow, you deserve a medal and a marching band to celebrate the fabulous-ness of this makeover! I am so totally jealous and at the same time exhausted looking at the amount of work I know you put into this baby. It's BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks so much Val :) I'd been wanting a little gold accent table for ages, but they're a bit pricey in stores! So I picked up this little table at Goodwill for 6 bucks and spray painted it gold - much cheaper :)

Thanks so much Emily! I really appreciate it :) I actually found the mirrors at my local Homesense (the Canadian version of Homegoods). The same mirrors are sold at Ballards too, as well as Pottery Barn, although not at quite the same pricepoint unfortanately! Another blogger mentioned that she found them at Kohls as well.

This is absolutely STUNNING!!!! Found you via Centsational Girl. I wanted to show you my hutch to bar renovation. We also got our stencil from Royal Design Studio. I am so proud. HARDEST project EVER!! http://www.thequeencitystyle.com/2011/11/hutch-to-bar-renovation.html

This is absolutely beautiful. We inherited an old French Country-ish hutch from my husband's grandmother, and it needs a LOT of work and a paint job -- but it just seems like such a daunting task! You are an inspiration -- you did a fantastic job!

My sister's new boyfriend has a sprayer, she really hit the jackpot on him! Someone that can be of some use to us in our insane amount of projects. I'll ask him which one he has and return with feedback.

This is just gorgeous!! Thanks for all of the pictures and details on the transformation....love how you share, it really is fun to see how it transforms. I love the gold finish too. I forget how great the rub and buff make some pieces pop! I do have 2 questions/comments~~~ I am surprised when I read your posts and see where you say you had to sand after painting with the chalk paint. I thought the beauty of chalk paint is that no sanding is needed. Also what ‘wax’ do you use as a finish on your painted pieces. thanks and can’t wait to see future pieces!

Hi Bev, thank you so much for your sweet comment! And I'm so glad you liked it :) Regarding your questions, I actually didn't use chalk paint for this piece - this was regular latex paint. I've heard amazing things about chalk paint (the best part being no sanding needed!) but I have yet to try it out. However I didn't fully sand this piece before painting either - that would have taken forEVER! I only sanded a few small areas where I applied the wood filler (to smooth out small dents, and also to fill the old handle holes on the middle drawer). To avoid sanding the whole piece before painting I used the Zinsser primer I mentioned above, it adheres really well even on top of glossy finishes. I also sanded very lightly between coats of the Varathane sealer, that was the product I used as the finish. I've heard wax products are great for finishing pieces too, but in this case I went with the Varathane because it was really easy to apply. Hope that answers your questions, I'm so glad you came by :)

This is absolutely perfect! How not to love this piece? Well Samaa, I was wondering if you're interested in guest posting at my blog Stardust. I host a guest blogger every Friday, so shoot me an email if it's a yes, to schedule a date! Love, Olga

Hi there! Sorry to be replying sOo late - I actually purchased my rub n buff online off an ebay seller - she had the best shipping rates to Canada. I think in the US you can find it in stores but here in Toronto I couldn't find it in any art stores.

Hi Samma-I recently bought a china hutch from my local thrift store and am in the process of painting it white. I’m using your china hutch as one of my inspiration pieces! I’ve included a picture and a link to your blog on Mrs. White Twig & Tea today. Thanks so much! -Angela @ http://mrswhitetwigandtea.wordpress.com

Hi there! Thanks so much :) I did buy the stencil online at Royal Design Studios - this is the one I used: http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/collections/allover-moroccan-stencils/products/small-moorish-trellis-stencilThey also have a lot of other great options, and if you check on blogs like young house love or vintage revivals they have 10% off coupon codes!

Thank you so much Hira! I really appreciate it :) I painted the back panels of some Ikea bookshelves with this primer and it worked great, they were a very smooth laminate material. I haven't tried it on any Ikea wood products yet, but I have used it on a few pretty glossy/laminate surfaces and it's always worked well, so I would definitely think so!

I'm in love and inspired! I bought a hutch today and I'm going to follow your instructions and have my fingers crossed that my results will be close to as wonderful! One question, you mentioned that you use a roller, can you tell me more about that? Which one? Thanks so much!

Oh thank you so much! And I'm so excited for your makeover - I'd love to see how it turns out! As for the rollers, I usually use the 4 inch foam rollers by Shur-Line, they're readily available at most stores near me and a decent price :) Hope that helps!

I am not a fan of parquet floors. But if I had them, your refinished cabinet would rock. I love how they go together. But even without the floors - I love how you redid this cabinet, and then kept the backdrop simple with the moroccan pattern. Love it. All in all, it's a win.

Thank you so much Michelline! I'm totally with you on the parquet floors, although our new place has mostly carpet throughout which almost has me missing those old floors and how easy they were to clean up!

This is so beautiful , I ended up here while searching for a stencil on royal design studio, I want to order a stencil but unsure of the size, what size is the stencil you purchased from royal design? I am so looking forward to stenciling after I saw this stunning piece. ty Norma

Thank you so much for the very kind comment Norma! I used the small moorish trellis stencil, it was 15.5" squared in size, each shape is around 7". It was a great scale size for this application - not too busy but just the right amount of pattern. They also sell a bigger version of the same pattern, I think that would look amazing too especially on a larger surface like a wall. I'd love to see what you end up doing!